LCA/LCC analysis of starting-lighting-ignition lead-acid battery in China

Background China has the largest lead–acid battery (LAB) industry and market around the world, and this situation causes unavoidable emissions of Pb and other pollutants. Methods On the basis of a field survey on a starting–lighting–ignition (SLI) LAB plant in Zhejiang Province, this study applies life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC) methods to assess the environmental impacts and environment-related costs derived from the LAB industry during the life phases, including material preparation, battery assembly, transportation, and regeneration of the plant. Results Material preparation and regeneration phases contribute 3.4 and 42.2 g to Pb emission, respectively, and result in 3.29 × 108 CHY of environmental cost for each function unit (1 KVA h LAB capacity). The material preparation phase is the largest mass contributor to global warming potential (GWP, 97%), photo-chemical oxidation potential (POCP, 88.9%), and eutrophication potential (EP, 82.5%) and produces 2.68 × 108 CHY of environmental cost. Discussion Decision makers in the Chinese LAB industry should replace the pyrogenic process in smelting with the use of clean energy, increase the lead recovery rate while producing the same capacity of LABs, and develop new technologies to reduce heavy metal emission, especially in the regeneration phase

Integrated economic and environmental analysis of agricultural straw reuse in edible fungi industry

Background China currently faces severe environmental pollution caused by burning agricultural straw; thus, resource utilization of these straws has become an urgent policy and practical objective for the Chinese government. Methods This study develops a bio-economic model, namely, “straw resource utilization for fungi in China (SRUFIC),” on the basis of a field survey of an edible fungi plant in Zhejiang, China, to investigate an integrated economic and environmental performance of straw reuse in fungi production. Five scenarios, which cover changes in the production scale, wage level, and price fluctuations of the main product and inputs, are simulated. Results Results reveal that (1) the pilot plant potentially provides enhanced economic benefits and disposes added agricultural residues by adjusting its production strategy; (2) the economic performance is most sensitive to fungi price fluctuations, whereas the environmental performance is more sensitive to production scale and price of fungi than other factors; (3) expanding the production scale can be the most efficient means of improving the performance of a plant economically and environmentally. Discussion Overall, agricultural straw reuse in the edible fungi industry can not only reduce the environmental risk derived from burning abandoned straws but also introduce economic benefits. Thus, the straw reuse in the fungi industry should be practiced in China, and specific economic incentive policies, such as price support or subsidies, must be implemented to promote the utilization of agricultural straws in the fungi industry

Impacts of Energy Price on Agricultural Production, Energy Consumption, and Carbon Emission in China: A Price Endogenous Partial Equilibrium Model Analysis

Energy market volatility will have systemic effects on agricultural production, energy consumption and carbon emissions. This paper aims to evaluate the impacts of energy price on agricultural production, energy consumption, and carbon emission in China. To achieve the objective, this paper, firstly, constructed a price endogenous partial equilibrium model, and then designed four scenarios of energy price fluctuations, finally evaluating the impacts of energy price fluctuations on agricultural production and its energy consumption and carbon emission. The results revealed that: (1) The impacts on agricultural production are very limited, but higher energy price will result in producers’ welfare loss by 0.6% to 1.4%, under different scenarios. (2) Energy price drives negative impacts on agricultural energy consumption and carbon emission, 1.6%/3.2% and 1.3%/2.6%, respectively, in low/high amplitude scenarios. (3) Heterogeneous impacts are confirmed in the regional analysis; South China is simulated to be the most sensitive area. To mitigate the impacts from energy price and reduce carbon emission in agriculture, several policy implications have recently been proposed, including strengthening supervision of the energy market, constructing an energy saving price-setting mechanism, launching policy instruments to improve energy efficiencies and facilitate cleaner farming techniques, and formulating specific measurements of energy saving and emission reduction for different regions

Physiological and Transcriptional Analysis Reveals the Response Mechanism of Camellia vietnamensis Huang to Drought Stress

Drought stress is considered the main obstacle restricting Camellia vietnamensis Huang (C. vietnamensis) yield. Hainan is the southernmost distribution region of C. vietnamensis in China and experiences a drought period annually. To study the drought-stress-response mechanism of C. vietnamensis, we treated seedlings of drought-tolerant (HD1) and drought-sensitive (WH1) cultivars with PEG-6000 (PEG) to simulate drought stress and compared the physiology and transcriptome of their leaves at 0 d, 3 d and 6 d posttreatment. Under drought stress, the growth of C. vietnamensis was inhibited, the relative water content (RWC) of leaves decreased and the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA), antioxidant enzyme activities, osmotic regulatory substances and secondary metabolites increased. Compared with those of WH1, the leaf RWC, osmotic-regulation substance content (proline, soluble protein and soluble sugar) and antioxidant enzyme activity (superoxide dismutase, peroxidase and catalase) of HD1 were significantly increased, while the relative electrical conductivity and MDA content were significantly decreased. Compared with WH1, 2812, 2070 and 919, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected in HD1 0 d, 3 d and 6 d posttreatment, respectively, and the number of DEGs increased with increasing treatment time. The detected DEGs are involved in the drought stress response of C. vietnamensis mainly through plant-hormone signal transduction and lignin and flavonoid biosynthesis pathways. Drought stress significantly activated the expression of several lignin and flavonoid biosynthesis genes in HD1. Moreover, total flavonoid and total polyphenol contents in HD1 were significantly increased, suggesting that the accumulation of flavonoids may be a key factor in the drought stress response of C. vietnamensis. Additionally, 191 DEGs were associated with coding transcription factors (TFs). This study provides insight into the molecular mechanism of the drought stress response of C. vietnamensis and provides a theoretical basis for the development and cultivation of new drought-resistant cultivars

Panchromatic Light-Absorbing [70]Fullerene-Perylene-BODIPY Triad with Cascade of Energy Transfer as an Efficient Singlet Oxygen Sensitizer

A panchromatic light-absorbing [70]fullerene-perylene-BODIPY triad (C70-P-B) was synthesized and applied as a heavy atom-free organic triplet photosensitizer for photooxidation. The photophysical processes were comprehensively investigated by the methods of steady-state spectroscopy, time-resolved spectroscopy, as well as theoretical calculations. C70-P-B shows a strong absorption ability from 300–620 nm. Efficient cascading intramolecular singlet-singlet energy transfer in C70-P-B was confirmed by the luminescence study. The backward triplet excited state energy transfer from C70 moiety to perylene then occurs to populate 3perylene*. Thus, the triplet excited states of C70-P-B are distributed on both C70 and perylene moiety with lifetimes of 23 ± 1 μs and 175 ± 17 μs, respectively. C70-P-B exhibits excellent photooxidation capacity, and its yield of singlet oxygen reaches 0.82. The photooxidation rate constant of C70-P-B is 3.70 times that of C70-Boc and 1.58 times that of MB, respectively. The results in this paper are useful for designing efficient heavy atom-free organic triplet photosensitizers for practical application in photovoltaics, photodynamic therapy, etc

Highly Distorted Uranyl Ion Coordination and One/Two-Dimensional Structural Relationship in the Ba2[UO2(TO4)2] (T = P, As) System: An Experimental and Computational Study

Uranium compounds α-Ba2[UO2(PO4)2] (1), β-Ba2[UO2(PO4)2] (2), and Ba2[UO2(AsO4)2] (3) were synthesized by H3BO3/B2O3 flux reactions, though boron is not incorporated into the structures. Phases 1 and 2 are topologically identical, but 1 is heavily distorted with respect to 2. An unusual UO7 pentagonal bipyramid occurs in 1, exhibiting a highly distorted equatorial configuration and significant bending of the uranyl group, due to edge-sharing with one neighboring PO43– tetrahedron. Compound 2 contains more normal square bipyramids that share corners with four neighboring PO43– tetrahedra, but the uranyl cation UO22+ is tilted relative to the equatorial plane. Experimental evidence as well as density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggest that 1 is more stable than 2. In theory, 1 and 2 can interconvert by forming/releasing the shared edge between the uranyl polyhedron and the phosphate tetrahedron. Similar fundamental building blocks in β-Ba2[UO2(PO4)2] and Ba2[UO2(AsO4)2] indicate a possible evolution of uranyl-based structures from chain to layer type and formation of an accretional series

Excellent Selectivity for Actinides with a Tetradentate 2,9-Diamide-1,10-Phenanthroline Ligand in Highly Acidic Solution: A Hard–Soft Donor Combined Strategy

In this work, we reported a phenanthroline-based tetradentate ligand with hard–soft donors combined in the same molecule, <i>N</i>,<i>N</i>′-diethyl-<i>N</i>,<i>N</i>′-ditolyl-2,9-diamide-1,10-phenanthroline (Et-Tol-DAPhen), for the group separation of actinides over lanthanides. The synthesis and solvent extraction as well as complexation behaviors of the ligand with actinides and lanthanides are studied experimentally and theoretically. The ligand exhibits excellent extraction ability and high selectivity toward hexavalent, tetravalent, and trivalent actinides over lanthanides in highly acidic solution. The chemical stoichiometry of Th­(IV) and U­(VI) complexes with Et-Tol-DAPhen is determined to be 1:1 using X-ray crystallography. The stability constants of some typical actinide and lanthanide complexes of Et-Tol-DAPhen are also determined in methanol by UV–vis spectrometry. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the An–N bonds of the Et-Tol-DAPhen complexes have more covalent characters than the corresponding Eu–N bonds, which may in turn lead to the selectivity of Et-Tol-DAPhen toward actinides. This ligand possesses merits of both alkylamide and 2,9-bis-(5,6-dialkyl-1,2,4-triazin-3-yl)-1,10-phenanthroline (R-BTPhen) extractants for efficient actinide extraction and the selectivity toward minor actinides over lanthanides and hence renders huge potential opportunities in high-level liquid waste (HLLW) partitioning

Highly Distorted Uranyl Ion Coordination and One/Two-Dimensional Structural Relationship in the Ba₂[UO₂(TO₄)₂] (T = P, As) System: An Experimental and Computational Study

Uranium compounds α-Ba₂[UO₂(PO₄)₂] (<b>1</b>), β-Ba₂[UO₂(PO₄)₂] (<b>2</b>), and Ba₂[UO₂(AsO₄)₂] (<b>3</b>) were synthesized by H₃BO₃/B₂O₃ flux reactions, though boron is not incorporated into the structures. Phases <b>1</b> and <b>2</b> are topologically identical, but <b>1</b> is heavily distorted with respect to <b>2</b>. An unusual UO₇ pentagonal bipyramid occurs in <b>1</b>, exhibiting a highly distorted equatorial configuration and significant bending of the uranyl group, due to edge-sharing with one neighboring PO₄^3– tetrahedron. Compound <b>2</b> contains more normal square bipyramids that share corners with four neighboring PO₄^3– tetrahedra, but the uranyl cation UO₂²⁺ is tilted relative to the equatorial plane. Experimental evidence as well as density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggest that <b>1</b> is more stable than <b>2</b>. In theory, <b>1</b> and <b>2</b> can interconvert by forming/releasing the shared edge between the uranyl polyhedron and the phosphate tetrahedron. Similar fundamental building blocks in β-Ba₂[UO₂(PO₄)₂] and Ba₂[UO₂(AsO₄)₂] indicate a possible evolution of uranyl-based structures from chain to layer type and formation of an accretional series

Highly Distorted Uranyl Ion Coordination and One/Two-Dimensional Structural Relationship in the Ba₂[UO₂(TO₄)₂] (T = P, As) System: An Experimental and Computational Study

Uranium compounds α-Ba₂[UO₂(PO₄)₂] (<b>1</b>), β-Ba₂[UO₂(PO₄)₂] (<b>2</b>), and Ba₂[UO₂(AsO₄)₂] (<b>3</b>) were synthesized by H₃BO₃/B₂O₃ flux reactions, though boron is not incorporated into the structures. Phases <b>1</b> and <b>2</b> are topologically identical, but <b>1</b> is heavily distorted with respect to <b>2</b>. An unusual UO₇ pentagonal bipyramid occurs in <b>1</b>, exhibiting a highly distorted equatorial configuration and significant bending of the uranyl group, due to edge-sharing with one neighboring PO₄^3– tetrahedron. Compound <b>2</b> contains more normal square bipyramids that share corners with four neighboring PO₄^3– tetrahedra, but the uranyl cation UO₂²⁺ is tilted relative to the equatorial plane. Experimental evidence as well as density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggest that <b>1</b> is more stable than <b>2</b>. In theory, <b>1</b> and <b>2</b> can interconvert by forming/releasing the shared edge between the uranyl polyhedron and the phosphate tetrahedron. Similar fundamental building blocks in β-Ba₂[UO₂(PO₄)₂] and Ba₂[UO₂(AsO₄)₂] indicate a possible evolution of uranyl-based structures from chain to layer type and formation of an accretional series